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The Cisco 6400 carrier-class broadband aggregator is a high-performance, scalable service gateway that enables the selection and delivery of broadband network services, virtual private networks (VPNs), and voice- and entertainment-driven traffic over the full suite of access media. The Cisco 6400 combines the richness of Cisco IOS® software, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switching and routing capabilities, and value-added service selection in a modular, scalable, redundant, Network Equipment Building Standard (NEBS) certified and ETSI form factor.

The digital subscriber line (DSL) market is quickly maturing from a technology and pilot service phase to large-scale deployments. As part of this evolution, service providers need to offer scalable services to both business and residential customers, supporting security, service selection, quality of service (QoS), and virtual private networks (VPNs). Cisco Systems is the first to acknowledge the complexity in meeting this need and offers the first end-to-end service-oriented DSL architecture from the customer premises equipment (CPE) to core ATM switching. The Cisco 6400 is an integral component of this architecture, enabling service providers to make the most of their DSL and dial service offerings.

Figure 1Cisco 6400

The Cisco 6400 may reside within the operating company's infrastructure (directly or via co-location) to aggregate access media (DSL, cable, wireless, and dial), serving as the intelligent equal access point that allows a multitude of operating companies and service providers access to the end users. In addition, the Cisco 6400 may reside at the network edge between the operating companies and ISP or corporation, providing the aggregation of sessions and tunnels as well as service and network selection capabilities required in the delivery of advanced broadband services.

When deployed by a wholesale service provider, the Cisco 6400 allows users to dynamically select on-demand services. It then switches user traffic to the selected services, applying full-edge routing and QoS policies. As a full-IP and ATM edge device, it forwards the traffic simultaneously to multiple IP domains, after preparing it for delivery to core networks, such as those powered by the Cisco 12000 Gigabit Switch Router (GSR) and Cisco BPX® 8600 product families.

When deployed by an ISP, the Cisco 6400 applies familiar dial-aggregation services to subscriber connections. It terminates and aggregates numerous end-user sessions and delivers the traffic to the ISP's backbone and host value-added services, such as e-mail, Web hosting, Web caching, Internet gaming, multipoint videoconferencing, streaming video and entertainment-driven traffic.

The Cisco 6400 may also be deployed by enterprises offering employees fast, reliable, authenticated access for telecommuting to both corporate networks and the Internet via secure VPNs.

In order to meet the demands of these diverse roles, the Cisco 6400 uses its fully-featured Layer 2 and Layer 3 Cisco IOS base. The Cisco 6400 can operate as a pure ATM switch, forwarding cells transparently or terminating local ATM virtual circuits, as a pure router, performing IP services or Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) termination/PPP tunneling via Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), or a combination of both.

The Cisco 6400 consists of a fault-tolerant ATM switching core and multiple fault tolerant routing engines. The ATM switch, based on Catalyst® 8500 + Per-Flow Queuing (PFQ) technology, provides the necessary ATM switching and traffic management capabilities, while the router modules enable the service provider to offer scalable Layer 3 services, described below. ATM interfaces connect the Cisco 6400 to dial access servers, DSLAMs, and Cisco IP DSL Switches, and ATM and packet interfaces connect to the network core. The Cisco 6400 is designed for use in high-availability environments such as operating companies' central offices (directly or via co-location), ISP offices, and corporate premises. As such, it includes switch, router, and line card redundancy, as well as 12-inch packaging (key for central office deployment).

The Cisco 6400 provides the following benefits:

Session scalabilityThe Cisco 6400 represents a quantum leap in session scalability, capable of supporting up to 48,000 subscriber sessions through one fully configured system. This scalable and flexible approach enables service providers to deliver secure PPP-based services to a much broader customer base by leveraging any end user's hardware and system configuration.

Modular designThe Cisco 6400 is a modular platform, with capacity starting at 2000 subscribers in its entry level configuration. The Cisco 6400 is capable of expanding to 48,000 subscribers quickly and cost-effectively as business grows, all the while delivering industry leading performance with the lowest cost per subscriber session in the industry.

Routing and VPN scalabilityUsing the Cisco 6400, service providers can simultaneously route end-user traffic over secure, independent pathways exceeding 1000 different domains or end destinations, with an aggregate throughput of over 2.4 gigabit per second forwarding capacity for handling even the most bandwidth-intensive broadband traffic. Each domain represents a VPN that may be assigned its own secure private path and own QoS level, enabling service providers to generate revenue by assigning QoS levels for each domain connection or service and charging fees accordingly.

Flexible service architectureThe Cisco 6400 forms the basis of a foundation architecture which supports the widest variety of services in the industry. The Cisco 6400 supports a variety of client architectures, including bridging, routing, PPP over ATM (PPPoA), PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE), and L2TP. Supported network architectures include IP, IP over ATM, Multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) VPNs and IPSec. All of these services are supported by the full suite of Cisco IOS routing protocols.

Reduction of provisioning costsBy terminating PPP sessions and mapping them to as many as 1000 routing domains without concern for overlapping private IP address spaces, the Cisco 6400 does away with the high provisioning costs and complexities of a point-to-point network architecture.

Dynamic service selectionThe Service Selection Gateway (SSG) allows subscribers to dynamically select on-demand services. As the gateway to New World services, the SSG enables services such as videoconferencing, streaming video, personalized Internet, business-grade Internet, shopping, and gaming to create new revenue streams and help attract and retain subscribers. The SSG allows each family member to access multiple services simultaneously for the ultimate in service utility, flexibility, and advertisement.

Captive Web-based service selection portalsThe Subscriber Edge Services Manager (SESM) software works in conjunction with SSG, allowing service providers to create customized network portals for individual subscribers. Because the software is Web-based, end users need no additional software other than their own Web browser, and service providers incur no costs for software royalties or support. Through the Web-based portals, users can access their own personalized profile, on any computer and operating system, and select any number of simultaneous services by simply pointing and clicking. Access to different networks, such as the Internet, corporate intranets, gaming or other entertainment-based services is provided via an authenticated log-on that is available to all users connected from homes or small business LANs.

Flexible accountingThe SSG lets service providers track and bill individual user session on a per-service basis, or even on a per-service, per- family-member basis, further enabling the deployment of on-demand services. Each individual family member may have a different set of privileges and be billed accordingly.

Cisco IOS softwareFor the NSP, NRP-2SV, and NRP-1. The NRP-2SV and NRP-1 also support multi-domain PPP Termination Aggregation (PTA) as well as WebSelection. Cisco IOS software provides a scalable and comprehensive set of networking features such as its cohesive inter-network operating system, security protocols and network management.